Process Problem: #NFL #SuperBowl #CoinToss, A Defect & Rework

For the coin toss of the Super Bowl 48 (or XLVIII), the referee Terry McAulay handed the coin to Joe Namath to toss it… it appeared that McAulay realized when the coin was in mid air that he had possibly forgotten to ask the Seahawks to call it. Oops!

Failing to stop Namath, McAulay caught the coin in mid air and then asked the Seahawks, as the visiting team, to call it — letting Namath then toss it again.

All we know from watching the video is that a mistake was made. Things didn't go the way they were supposed to — but why?

As we say in the Lean management philosophy, be hard on the process, not the people.

Whether it's a coin toss, an inauguration, or a surgery at a hospital — all the practice in the world can't prevent a mistake happening in the heat of the moment if somebody gets nervous or there's a distraction.

The first coin toss is what we'd call a “defect” in the Lean terminology. That led to “rework” for the referee and Namath.

Rather than blaming the referee (or blaming Namath), the NFL should look at the process — what caused this to happen? What can they do to prevent it in the future?

AND then there’s the Groundhog Day fail by the new mayor of New York City. My wife being a veterinarian who knows how to hold all KINDS of critters immobilized (including me), I’m gonna betcha nobody taught Hizzonor how to hold a wriggly groundhog securely.

Better yet would be to error proof the toss. In the NFC championship series, the coin itself had Seattle on one side and San Francisco on the other side. So there was no doubt who wins the toss and also no need to call it.